Kalani Sitake Gave His Candid Thoughts on BYU’s CFP Absence After Pop-Tarts Bowl Win

BYU was slotted at No. 12 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Kalani Sitake and BYU took down Georgia Tech in the Pop Tarts Bowl / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

BYU coach Kalani Sitake and his Cougars missed out on the College Football Playoff, but they prevailed with one of college football’s most prized possessions: chomping on the sacrificial pastry after a Pop-Tarts Bowl win.

The Cougars were given shirts and hats that deemed them “the people’s national champions” after a thrilling 25-21 win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which was as fun as always for the third straight year. With the win, BYU finished its season 12-2 with the only two blemishes on its schedule at the hands of No. 4 Texas Tech, who earned a first-round bye in the CFP.

BYU finished ranked No. 12 in the final CFP rankings. The Cougars had an outside shot for an at-large CFP bid, but they needed a win over the Red Raiders in the Big 12 championship game to automatically enter the 12-team field, removing discretion from the CFP committee. Sitake, who chose to stay at BYU despite a push from Penn State in the Nittany Lions’ coaching search, had an honest take about the Cougars’ absence from the CFP following the coveted Pop-Tarts Bowl win.

“Listen, [the CFP committee] made the decision. We’re fine,” he said. “We got to move on and just keep playing football. I think what the committee did is a hard decision for them to go and put that together. But, we love football, we’re going to watch the playoffs, we’re going to watch all the bowl games. I love that these guys want to play the game. We had everybody trying to play, the only ones that didn’t play are the ones that were injured and we held out.”

"If it's not the way you wanted it to go, that's okay. Your reaction is going to be what everybody's going to define you with."@BYUFootball's Kalani Sitake speaks about the opportunity to play in the Pop-Tart bowl after being left out of the CFP this season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NerHnJtt5o

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2025

No. 11 Notre Dame was the biggest snub from the CFP field, and the Fighting Irish opted out of an appearance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Sitake’s BYU team could have done the same, but the school thought the bowl experience was worthwhile.

“These guys came here with a great attitude being here and had so much appreciation and gratitude for being invited to the Pop-Tarts Bowl,” he continued. “And then their interaction with Georgia Tech and all the festivities, I was really proud of these guys and that’s how you do things in life.

“If it’s not the way you wanted it to go, that’s O.K. Your reaction is going to be what everybody’s going to define you with.”

Although BYU’s season didn’t result in a CFP bid, the school ends its season on a high note. Sitake will remain in the fold for the future, too, as he agreed to an extension with his alma mater after rejecting Penn State’s offer.

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